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Slashdot's Disagree Mail

Slashdot has one of the best discussion systems there is. It's grown and adapted over the years to meet various challenges and suit the needs of our users. A lot of time and effort has gone into it and we are always open to user input to help make it better. Some of our best ideas start as user suggestions and we appreciate the feedback. Of course they can't all be gems and sometimes the suggestions we get are unworkable or just bizarre. Here are a few of my favorite unhelpful, helpful suggestions.

On Wed Sept 6, 2006 ********* wrote:
"I can't help but notice the huge amount of trolls posting comments the past few days. I know you guys work hard to keep them down but it's a losing battle. You should make people post comments in groups to get rid of the trolls. Everyone would have a "comment buddy" that has to agree that your comment is worth posting. You could make it part of the preview process. This way trolls wouldn't be able to post because nobody else would mark their comment as worth posting. Maybe if two trolls got together they would be able to defeat the "buddy" process but that seems unlikely to me as I don't think they work in groups do they? Maybe this isn't as good an idea as I think for working against large groups but it might work for lone trolls."

I love the idea of a comment buddy. It reminds me of "Posture Pals" from the famous MST3K short. The next mail comes from a lady who doesn't mind clicking on things, in fact she loves it. If she had her way, everyone would have carpal tunnel syndrome.

On Mon May 7, 2007 ******* wrote
"Instead of a confusing bunch of numbers and some adjectives that don't mean anything why not just have a list of everyone who has posted a comment that a user can go through. That way you could click on a name and then click on their comments until you decided if you liked what they had to say. You could then click on them again and click on a ACCEPT COMMENTS link. Then you could click on them again and let them know that you like what they write so they will probably like what you write. That way it would save some clicking. After a bit you will have clicked on enough people that you could see a dozen or so comments in a story because you can't read much more than that anywy. You'd just have to click on a dozen people for a dozen or so stories and you will have your own little community with only the people who were worth clicking on. Just a thought."

Finally we have someone who thinks speech should cost something. In this case, a nominal fee on an upsliding scale.

On Fri Jan 5, 2007 ******* wrote:
"I have a suggestion to help solve the flame problem you seem to have here. It's simple and will make you enough money that you can get rid of ads. You charge 1 cent for the first 2 comments in a day 3-10 comments cost 5 cents and anything over 10 comments cost 25 cents (nobody but flamers post more than 10 times in a day). People would probably complain at first but they'd get used to it just like I'm sure people complained about stamps but accept it now. I don't think people would be willing to flame if it cost a couple $. keep up the good work."

18 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. For the Non-Mysties by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I love the idea of a comment buddy. It reminds me of "Posture Pals" from the famous MST3K short. The next mail comes from a lady who doesn't mind clicking on things, in fact she loves it. If she had her way, everyone would have carpal tunnel syndrome."

    "Ms. Martin! Tommy drew a bong!"

    --
    My work here is dung.
  2. Non-Obvious & Novel? by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Instead of a confusing bunch of numbers and some adjectives that don't mean anything why not just have a list of everyone who has posted a comment that a user can go through. That way you could click on a name and then click on their comments until you decided if you liked what they had to say. You could then click on them again and click on a ACCEPT COMMENTS link. Then you could click on them again and let them know that you like what they write so they will probably like what you write. That way it would save some clicking. After a bit you will have clicked on enough people that you could see a dozen or so comments in a story because you can't read much more than that anywy. You'd just have to click on a dozen people for a dozen or so stories and you will have your own little community with only the people who were worth clicking on. Just a thought."

    Has she approached Amazon with a draft for a 9-click patent?

    --
    My work here is dung.
  3. costly words by emart · · Score: 5, Funny

    charging for comments??! that's one of the worst ideas i have heard in a while. i don't think this comment is worth a penny! and i bet a lot of people would agree with me!

    --
    "they didn't know it was impossible, so they did it!" - Mark Twain
    1. Re:costly words by spazdor · · Score: 5, Funny

      The buddy system would bring a tyranny of the majority to slashdot.
      Agreed! The letter mentioned that trolls work alone, but...

      Imagine the discord if suddenly all Slashdotters were required to have a friend!

      --
      DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
    2. Re:costly words by spazdor · · Score: 5, Funny

      Poppycock. Trolls never abuse multiple accounts.

      --
      DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
    3. Re:costly words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      The buddy system would bring a tyranny of the majority to slashdot

      Well, I for one, welcome our new tyrannical groupthink overlords!

    4. Re:costly words by Starteck81 · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Charging for comments??! that's one of the worst ideas i have heard in a while. i don't think this comment is worth a penny! and i bet a lot of people would agree with me!"

      It could work, but that's just my two cents. ;-)

      --
      "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed H
  4. Trolls do not work in groups by 77Punker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Clearly he has not heard of Something Awful. Yes, we^H^H they do work in groups.

  5. Idea for improving Slashdot by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    Here's an idea. Make the
    idle comment box wider. One
    can barely type more than
    half a sentence in it the
    way it is set up now.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  6. Re:Ditch under/overrated as mods by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Parent is modded down overrated

  7. re Comment Buddy by Xelios · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the correct term is accountabilibuddy.

    --
    Murphey's fighting Occam, and we're in the stands.
  8. Re:This is horrible by Tridus · · Score: 3, Funny

    I used to wonder if a comment could be both flamebait, and 100% correct at the same time.

    Now I know.

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
  9. UID by mfh · · Score: 5, Funny

    I suggest capping the comment abilities of posters with a UID over #56.

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
    1. Re:UID by abigor · · Score: 4, Funny

      No offense, but aren't you the guy who bought his Slashdot account on eBay or somewhere?

    2. Re:UID by TobyRush · · Score: 2, Funny

      I say we cap the comment abilities of posters whose UIDs are not divisible by 43543.

      --
      Sam! If you will let me be,
      I will try them.
      You will see.
    3. Re:UID by Ec|ipse · · Score: 4, Funny

      Good, I made it.

  10. another idea: anti-threadjacking by OglinTatas · · Score: 3, Funny

    Amen on the comment box, bro.

    One way to improve slashdot and reduce comment clutter would be to have a way for the reader to collapse entire threads which have drifted off topic, without changing the comment threshhold. Does anyone have a greasemonkey script that does this?

    The best example I can think of where this would be necessary, are the articles about evolution, fossils and such related stuff. Early in the discussion the evolutionist, creationist, and intelligent design trolls post, stirring up a whole hornets nest of other trolls and genuinely earnest posters, all of which get modded to +5 insightful. Then you have pages of meaningless comments obscurring any real discussion.

    If I could collapse entire threads when they veer off topic, I can then see the two or three comments which might have something meaningful to say.

    In the meantime, I just skip those articles entirely because other articles go off topic, but nowhere nearly as badly.

    Also, sorry for the offtopic/threadjack, Dave.

  11. Re: it wouldn't work by danieltdp · · Score: 4, Funny

    People will use the gold mod point on the first week and spend the rest of the semester posting "If I had my gold mod point..."

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    -- dnl